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Suggested Reading: Matthew 7:6

God‘s word is not for the purposes of promoting our own importance. We cannot use His word to sound cute and keep the crowds entertained. Jesus puts it this way:

Do not give dogs what is sacred; don’t throw your pearls to pigs. If you do they will trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.

In this verse Jesus touches on two important principles concerning correctly handling the word of God. The one is discerment in using His word and the other is abusing His word for the sake of looking important; turning it into cute little sayings that keep the crowds entertained.

Discernment in Using the Word of God:

Don’t bother to correct a fool. Solomon said that we should not share the wisdom of God with a fool. He will only despise your words. A fool takes no pleasure in truth. He does not seek wisdom. He delights in folly and turning serious teachings into a joke. We need discernment to know when to share the Lord’s word with someone for a good purpose and when to keep quiet. Jesus mastered this perfectly. He was often pushed for responses, since He simply ignored the inquiries of the hypocritical fools who were the church leaders of His time. Sometimes keeping silent is also an answer. “Do not speak to a fool, for he will scorn the wisdom of your words.” (Proverbs 23:9). Perhaps you have experienced this before. Perhaps you have spoken to someone about the Lord’s word with good intentions only to be mocked and insulted. May we learn to discern between the wise and the fools, for then we will truly assist in advancing the Lord’s kingdom.

“Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return. Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt. So don’t bother correcting mockers, they will only hate you. But correct the wise and they will love you.” (Proverbs 9:7-8 NLT)

There is no point in trying to teach someone who has already made up his mind that he knows it all. This even applies to a spiritual sense. There are those who have decided that if you don’t have some sort of religious title and your are not a member of their denomination, then you have no business telling them anything about God. They have God all figured out and they will only listen to someone who carries a religious title like a badge. They have forgotten two things: That God once spoke through a donkey to a stubborn, money-loving prophet and that God said even the stones will cry out when His people keep quiet. God is not limited in who it is He wants to speak through. If He promises to speak even through inanimate objects if needed, what stops Him from using the most humble and unassuming human being who was created in His own image. But fools have forgotten this and therefore, they will despise you if you attempt to share God’s wisdom with them. Don’t waste your breath on them, says King Solomon.

“If you reason with an arrogant cynic, you’ll get slapped in the face; confront bad behaviour and get a kick in the shins. So don’t waste your time on a scoffer; all you’ll get for your pains is abuse. But if you correct those who care about life, that’s different –they’ll love you for it!” (Proverbs 9:7-8 The Message).

Using His Word to Sound Cute

Don’t Use His Words to make yourself popular. If we do that, we are serving ourselves and not God, even though we speak His words. Sometimes, we think we are sounding real spiritual when we use God’s word as cute little slogans. We reduce His word to something that has nothing more than entertaining value. We aim to keep the crowds ooh-ing and aah-ing. But in the end, we bring disgrace to His Name. It is by His word that we are born again. Not of perishable seed, but imperishable. His word stands forever. His word is powerful. He is the Word. His Word is Truth. By His Word He created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them. His word is not a commodity that we get to sell on the religious market to improve our standing among men. We should be careful not to use His word for selfish ambitions. May we always approach His Word with the reverence and awe due to Him.

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